Crime & Safety
Police: Man Steals Thousands from Wyandotte Church on Easter Sunday
An estimated $15,000 was stolen from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church.
A man is accused of visiting a Wyandotte church on Easter Sunday for all the wrong reasons.
The well-dressed man walked into shortly after the 7:30 a.m. Mass ended and then walked right out with thousands of dollars from the collection plate, police said.
While an exact amount of cash and checks stolen isn’t known, a church bulletin said the parish collects an average of just under $15,000 on a typical Sunday.
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With this being Easter Sunday, however, parishioners say the dollar amount likely was even higher.
The money had not been counted by the time it was stolen, so church officials said they'll never know the true amount that was taken.
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According to Police Chief Dan Grant, the man entered the church at about 9:30 a.m. through a side door that typically is locked. When a 79-year-old parishioner asked the man if he needed help, he told her he was there to see the Rev. Walter Ptak.
The woman directed the man to a rear storage area where Ptak was storing items used during the Mass. The collection basket, which contained a bank deposit bag of the day's collections, also was in the room.
Ptak said he never spoke with or saw the man before realizing the bank deposit bag had been stolen. The man was then nowhere to be found.
Grant said police plan to interview the woman on Tuesday. With her help, Grant said, police hope to develop a composite sketch to help solve the case.
The suspect is described as white, in his late 40s with dark hair and a receding hairline. He is between 5 feet and 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs about 130 or 140 pounds. He was last seen wearing a beige-colored, waist-length jacket and brown pants.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call police at 734-324-4432.
Joe Kohn, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Detroit, said church officials are still .
"It's deep disappointment, especially on a holy day," Kohn said. “For something like this to happen is a blow to the community’s spirit. It’s hard news for the parish.”
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